Government officials should be among the first to get vaccinated

Our readers have their say on Lebanon's latest political scandal, the future of jobs, Pope Francis' visit to Iraq and littering in the desert

Lebanon's caretaker health minister, Hamad Hasan, administers a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to a woman in Beirut last month. Reuters

I write in reference to Elias Sakr and Fatima Al Mahmoud's article Lebanese MPs defiant in face of vaccine criticism (February 24): a few Lebanese MPs reportedly jumped the queue to get their Covid-19 vaccinations last month. Many considered their actions to be objectionable and even corrupt. Politicians in Argentina, Peru and France also got into trouble for skipping the line.

But it is worth asking why politicians should not be given preferential treatment. Over the past year, our leaders have set policy and made important decisions for our health and safety. Many of them, such as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden, have led from the front and conducted themselves in a matured manner.

We no doubt need strong and incorruptible leadership. But are our leaders and government officials not “essential workers”? After all, they are tasked with running their countries. They should, therefore, be among the first to get inoculated, along with health workers.

Rajendra Aneja, Dubai

People littering the desert are being selfish

I write in reference to Nick Webster's article Heartbreaking video shows baby camel chewing plastic in Abu Dhabi desert (March 2): so many selfish people leave rubbish, including plastic bags, in the desert. it is disgusting and dangerous.

Name withheld on request

Providing jobs will be one of the biggest challenges going forward

I write in reference to Rashmee Roshan Lall's article Jobs after Covid-19: business not as usual (March 1): it is no exaggeration to say that the pandemic has changed the world in very fundamental ways. Even as vaccines are being disseminated and administered around the globe and economies are picking up again, people are losing their jobs. It is likely that the post-pandemic recovery will be for just a minority of people. Technology was already making many jobs redundant, now Covid-19 has hastened that process. Millions of people being unemployed cannot be good for anyone, not for the economy, not for government, and, most importantly, not for those out of work. The public and private sectors should come together as quickly as possible to find solutions.

K Ragavan, Bengaluru

God bless all the Iraqi people

I write in reference to Robert Tollast's article Pope Francis in Iraq: everything you need to know about pontiff's visit (March 1): it's nice to see that preparations are under way in Iraq for the visit of Pope Francis. I hope it will be a safe tour. God bless all the Iraqi people.

Name withheld on request